The Secret of Spruce Knoll (7 page)

Chapter 14

The local coffee shop didn’t smell quite the same as those back home, but it still smelled great. Coffee always reminded Eren of her dad and how they used to share a cup in the morning. It stung to think about but the pain was better than the numbness that had sank into her lately where her parents were concerned. The walk had been easy and pleasant in the cool of the early summer morning. They had nothing to do but kill time today so Aiden jumped at Eren’s suggestion to visit her grandfather’s store. When she saw the coffee shop across the street, Eren insisted they stop there first.

Now that they were here Eren wasn’t sure she wanted to go in. What if people treated her like they had at the grocery store? Being half-Maya, prejudice wasn’t foreign to her, but she didn’t want Aiden to see it. Her hand went instinctively to her necklace as if just by touching it she could draw on the strength of her mom’s memory. It worked a little.

Growing up she’d endured cruel comments from time to time but since her family was wealthy most people kept their opinions to themselves. Before now she’d never really thought of why people hadn’t discriminated against her and now that she did, it really bothered her. Money shouldn’t have defined her social status. But not even money could sway the people of this town.

“What’s the matter?” Aiden asked as she hesitated outside the coffee shop.

Unable to say what she really felt, Eren cleared her throat to kill time while she thought up an excuse. She could feel the weight of Aiden’s eyes. Lines of heat ran up her arms as his fingers brushed her hand.

“Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. I don’t,” he said.

Had her expression really revealed that much? She tried to smile as she looked up at him.

“They use the excuse that they’re afraid of losing their cultures and say mixed couples can’t bond or have children. It’s stupid and just sounds like excuses to me,” Aiden said.

Eren smiled at him and said, “Yeah, what do they know if they never actually mix races?” 

“Exactly!” Aiden agreed.

Taking hold of her hand, Aiden started toward the door. Once inside, Eren saw there were two walls of windows. One view was of the street going south through town, the other of the street that went east. Technically the coffee shop was on Romanian land but it was considered common—business—land. Since it was only seven miles from Eren’s house, she decided it was somewhere she’d have to start frequenting.

Standing on the sun-drenched tile floors, soaking in the rich smell of ground beans, she was happy they’d come. The room was filled with clusters of plush chairs and tables, with a loveseat here and there. There were a few landscape paintings on the walls, completing the homey atmosphere.

A teenage girl stood behind the counter, her dark brown hair pulled up into a severe bun. She was pretty in a head-cheerleader kind of way, with olive skin, big eyes, and long lashes. Those eyes filled with loathsome recognition when they flitted across Aiden, and narrowed to a glare when they saw Eren. But the look disappeared as though a switch had been thrown. All of a sudden she was the picture of customer service, smiling and eager.

“What can I get you?” she asked.

Eren rattled off the name of a complicated espresso drink and the girl began preparing it as she hummed along to whatever tune her I-pod was playing. A minute later she smiled at Eren as she set the drink down on the counter, and wished her a good day. Aiden told the girl what drink he wanted and she turned to make it without looking at him. When she was finished she picked up a rag and turned away to wipe down the counter. He dug out a ten dollar bill and slapped it down. First she glared at it, then up at him.

“You know that isn’t necessary,” she snapped as she shoved the bill back at him.

“I
want
to pay for it,” he said slowly, biting off each word.

The tension in the air was a sharp tang on the back of Eren’s tongue. The pressure between the two of them was so thick if she turned her head just right she could see it shimmering like a mist. Knowing that he wasn’t attracted to the pretty girl was encouraging but by the tension between them Eren feared she might be an ex-girlfriend. He was always so laid back that his temper kind of surprised her.

“You’re money is no good here,” the girl said through clenched teeth before turning her back on them again.

Aiden shoved the money back into his pocket and stormed away from the counter. When Eren gave him a curious look he forced a smile, his lips pressed tightly together. They made their way over to the plush loveseat that sat farthest from the counter. It didn’t escape Eren’s attention that he could have chosen two chairs which were a bit farther away from each other. They sat down and she pulled a leg beneath her, turning sideways so she could look at him. That put a bit more distance between them, but the view made it worth it.

“This is my parents’ place,” he said with a sigh.

There was sadness in his voice and he said the word ‘parents’ as though it didn’t quite feel right. It made Eren think maybe his relationship with his parents wasn’t all that good. Curious as she was, that wasn’t something she wanted to press him on right now.

“And you don’t exactly get along with the help?” she pointed out.

“Yeah, you could say that,” Aiden agreed with a half-grin.

As they talked and drank their coffee, he relaxed bit by bit. The flare of anger that had shocked her so much, faded away and the Aiden she had come to know, returned. He struck up a conversation and the last of Eren’s concern faded away.

The way he looked at her made her feel like she was someone who was fascinating as well as beautiful. But even more, she loved the way he talked to her. Aiden wanted to know what she thought about things, how she felt, and what her opinions were. Most guys she’d been around got a far away look in their eyes any time she spoke. That, and made a move on her within the first week. Aiden had yet to make one, though he was clearly interested. Eren figured that might have something to do with the whole energy releasing thing whenever he got anxious though. No matter how she looked at it, he was a rarity.

When they finished their coffee they made their way down the deserted street toward Zolin’s store. Even though it wasn’t quite nine o’clock, the cobblestone sidewalk was already hot beneath Eren’s feet. It was a good thing they were planning on going to the river later.

They came to the four way intersection and Eren gravitated toward the roundabout ‘meeting place.’ Like the sidewalks, it was all cobblestone, even the steps leading up to it. It looked very old and very well cared for. The stone benches were all worn smooth, no doubt by countless attendees over a very long period of time. It sort of hummed. She could feel it coming up through her legs.

As she placed her foot upon the first of those steps, Aiden grabbed her arm, stopping her. She turned to look at him and he shook his head vigorously, an almost fearful look in his eyes.

“Until we belong to one of the Societies we’re not allowed up there,” he said.

The urgency in his voice made her step back down.

“We’re not born into Societies?” Eren asked.

“Normally, yeah. But since your parents left that means you don’t belong to one,” he said gently. It looked like it hurt him to say the words.

It definitely hurt Eren to hear them. Her mouth went very dry and her throat closed, saving her from having to respond.

“I don’t belong to one either. Being adopted means you don’t automatically belong to one. Especially when you’re adopted by a different culture like I was,” he explained.

“That seems so wrong,” Eren said.

Aiden nodded and continued across the street, pulling her after him. She followed without protest but her head turned so she could take another long look at the meeting place. It held an interest that she couldn’t quite explain. Not only did it smell fascinating—almost metallic—it felt as though it were pulsing with energy. That sounded crazy, but then so had much of what she’d been told lately.

“Once we start coming into our power then it’s time for us to choose our own Society anyway. It’s time when we belong nowhere,” Aiden said.

The words drew her attention back to him. Did that mean she had the chance to really belong somewhere? To have not only her aunt and grandfather, but an entire family? The hope that idea stirred in her was staggering.

There was no more time to think upon it because they had reached the sidewalk and Zolin’s store. Just like the coffee shop, the bookstore sat on a corner, only this was on the Maya corner. The big two-story building was beige colored adobe that looked like it had been built well over a hundred years ago. Adobe always looked like that though, so it was hard to tell the true age of the place.

A little bell hanging upon the glass door announced their entrance. The ancient hardwood floors were polished to such a high shine that the sunlight bounced off them and blinded Eren. The smell of used books and old ink was powerful, but not unpleasant. Aiden guided her into the room and away from the glare. She opened her eyes. Unlike the coffee house, there were no windows in this shop. Instead, every wall was lined with packed bookshelves. More filled the spaces between. Very little empty floor space remained beyond the entrance. It was a lot of books for a small town.

“Wow,” Eren said. She was intimidated and suddenly very worried about history class.

“People read a lot in this town. There’s no theater and there aren’t many of us who have TVs,” Aiden said.

Rolling her eyes, Eren sighed. For the first time, these people really didn’t seem human. The TV she could live without, but no movie theater seemed a bit extreme. How were they supposed to know what was going on with the rest of the world? Oh yeah, internet. At least there was that.

“Guess we won’t be catching any movies together then,” Eren murmured as her eyes scanned the depths of the store.

There was no one at the counter and she didn’t see her grandfather down any of the aisles. The door was open so she figured he must be here. An open door at the far end of the room drew her attention.

“Sure we will. We’ll just have to drive to the city,” Aiden said.

Eren’s eyes flew open and she blushed before her hair could drop down to cover her face. She hadn’t thought he’d actually hear her! Wait a second, had he really said what she thought he’d said? The blush grew so hot it became uncomfortable. Dizziness washed over her and her body started to vibrate very subtly. A few deep breaths later and she had it under control. That made her smile. She was getting better at this.

“Eren, is that you?” her grandfather’s voice came from the back of the room.

“Yeah, Grandpa,” she called back.

She loved how that sounded, how it felt on her tongue. It made her wonder how her parents could have kept her from knowing her family. They were a small family for sure, but that made it worse, not better. There must be more to the story than Aunt Sylvia and her grandfather were telling her. Her parents had not been cruel. They wouldn’t have kept her from knowing them without a good reason. Having to leave town because they were a mixed couple was
not
a good reason.

Zolin emerged from the back room smiling and calling out a greeting to Aiden. He walked like a strong, healthy man, not like someone she should be calling grandpa. She felt a bit guilty until a thought occurred to her; she had no idea how long they lived.

“Come, sit down,” he motioned to a group of three leather chairs to the left of the counter.

Eren sank down into one. It was so huge it felt like it swallowed her up, and it was very comfortable. So comfortable in fact, she was pretty sure she could sit here and read War and Peace without feeling the desire to move. From the content look on Aiden’s face, his chair was just as cozy.

“I didn’t expect the store to be so huge,” Eren marveled as her eyes scanned row after row.

Zolin’s eyes followed hers and he got a proud, almost paternal look on his face as he looked at his books. Yep, Eren was definitely worried about history class now. So much for breezing through because she knew the teacher.

“It’s more than just a bookstore. I’m the keeper of the town’s history. The back room is just as big and is filled with books from each of the four original Societies,” he explained.

She didn’t quite understand. “Books from the original Societies?” she asked.

“History and writing from each culture dating back to the time we all migrated here, some even older,” he said.

“When did we originally migrate here?” Eren asked.

Zolin smiled, obviously pleased at her interest. “The four original Societies came here in 1758, before Colorado was even a state,” he told her.

Eren did the math in her head and her mouth dropped open. “That’s some really old books,” she mused.

“Most of the old ones are scrolls actually, but a few are books. We have druid scrolls that escaped the European burning, Mayan scrolls from the days when Yaxchilan was a thriving city, scrolls from the time when Dalai Lamas ruled Tibet, and books from when Wallachia was its own country,” he said, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

When he described it that way, with such passion, it made their history seem much more interesting. From her dad she had learned that England and Ireland had been at war for over seven hundred years. Her mom had taught her enough of Mayan history that she knew Yaxchilan was considered ancient ruins now. Could books and scrolls really survive so long? This brought many questions to Eren’s mind.

“Are we immortal?” she asked.

It sounded so unbelievable that she felt stupid asking, especially with Aiden listening.

“I was wondering when you’d get around to that. No, we’re not. We’re hard to kill and we live a long time, but we can die. We are connected to the Earth more so than regular humans. If it suffers so do we, which is why we live as close to nature as we can,” he said.

There was such an intense look of pain and concern in his eyes that it rendered Eren speechless for a moment. Feeling as though he expected some kind of indication that she understood, she nodded.